Zootopia: Blood Fangs
by derrandumbthrowaway
Summary: A prequel to the original film. Set in the early 1990s of the world of Zootopia, the story explores the traumatic teenage years of Nicholas Wilde. With the help of three uncanny yet unique allies, Nick will try to take down the gang known as The Blood Fangs, the most wanted and most dangerous gang of Zootopia.
1. Prologue: Limitations

Nick sat behind the stairs of the Zootopia Scout Rangers building. The young fox was recently traumatized by what happened inside. He was reciting the Scout's Oath until the other rangers, who happened to be prey, muzzled him in the dark and kicked him out of the group. Not long after, Nick escaped and removed the muzzle.

As he cried over his shattered dreams, he heard footsteps approaching him, as if the mammal was running.

"W…Who's there?" Nick wiped his tears off as his ears stood up and he twitching his nose. Out of the darkness, he sees a small fox running as if he was running away from something.

"Phew. Must've lost them." The small beige fox sighed and gasped for air.

Instead of passing by, the fox saw Nick and ran behind the green dumpster.

"Hey kid, what're you doing out here? Get your butt inside!" The fox whispered loudly.

"S…Stay away from me, please. I don't have any money on me."

"What?" The Fennec fox's face was puzzled. "I don't need anything from you. Wait a sec… you're a fox too."

The small, beige fox sighed and came out of the hiding spot and squatted in front of Nick.

"Name's Finnick. What's yours?" Finnick offered his hand to the ex-scout.

"Nick." Nick grabbed his hand and jumped up from the cold pavement.

"So kid, why the hell are you out here anyway?"

Nick looked at the muzzle he threw, which landed beside a dumpster.

"Let me guess… no preds allowed?"

Nick looked down on the floor as he continued crying.

Exasperated, Finnick placed his paw on Nick's shoulder. "Welcome to the life of a fox, kid. "Finnick let out a heavy sigh. "It's never sunshine and flowers. Remember this: don't try to become anything else than what you are. I made that same mistake a long time ago. At least you still have a lot of time to fix things."

A black limousine pulls up to the front of the Scout house and screeches as it stops in front of the two foxes. Around the blinding headlights came a polar bear in a tuxedo. The polar bear grabbed Finnick by the throat, knocked him unconscious and threw him in the trunk. Nick just stood there, traumatized.

"Wait!" A soothing voice emerged from the limousine as the bear was about to return the driver seat.

"Little one. Are you alright?"

Nick spotted a little rodent with blonde hair sitting on the dashboard of the limousine. Scared out of his mind, Nick nodded slowly.

"Are you sure?"

Nick started whimpering and cried as the Scout Ranger Building was blasting out music, probably celebrating his scout rejection.

"It's okay, child. Why don't you come with us?"

"Wh-what the...? Damn it!" Finnick suddenly woke up and banged on the car trunk and screamed. "Nick! Run!"

At that very instance, Nick spun around and sprinted down an alleyway on all fours, slithering through the junk and out a big hole on a wooden fencing. Nick ran back towards his apartment, desperate for love and comfort from his mother, Mary Anne Wilde.


	2. Tango Spotted

"But wait! There's more! If you buy this Moostang right now, you'll get zero down payment!" Nick looked desperate as he tried to sell a car. The Hoard Moostang sported a bright orange paint job is customers, a pig couple, snorted at him and walked away.

As a child of a single parent, Nick worked in a part-time job to help his mother pay the bills. According to Mary Anne, Nick's father died long ago because he was with dangerous friends. He was a busy man, but he was a work-a-holic who wasn't there a lot, even during Mary Anne's pregnancy.

As the pigs walked away from the used car dealership, Nick tossed his hat to the floor and started shouting profanities. He walked back from the hot pavement warmed by the afternoon sun into the small, cool building where his boss sat comfortably.

"Nick! My office now!" A porcupine stormed out of the double glass doors and screamed for the fox's head.

Nick hung his head in shame and disappointment and entered the building, where he was met by the cool breeze of the air conditioner and the glaring eyes of a 3-foot porcupine sitting on an oversized desk.

"I'm so sorry, sir. I guess the weather's doing things to my head. I guess the customers didn't want to talk to me since I'm just a fox."

Mr. Quillback turned his chair to the left and stared out at the window, where the used cars were scorching in the rays of the hot sun.

"Luckily, my head's not stuck in the stone age, Nick. I'm giving you one last chance. Make a sale within these two weeks or I have no choice but to cut some losses, if you catch my drift."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Quillback. I promise I won't let you down."

"Okay then, Nick. Back to work! Here's a spray bottle of water for later."

* * *

The next day…

* * *

Nick was waiting in the shade and saw a rabbit in a tuxedo walking in the parking lot. He took a deep breath and walked towards the customer.

"Good morning, sir! How may I help you today?" Nick made a courteous smile.

"Morning. I'm here to buy a car as a gift for a friend. He wants a car that's both fast and strong, and also under 30k. You got anything like that over here?"

"Yeah, sir. Follow me around."

Nick led the rabbit around the lot. Nick showed him to some sedans and minivans. The rabbit looked uninterested in any of the cars and looked tired. All of a sudden, he ran towards a car sitting under the shade of an oak tree.

"Is this it?" The rabbit whispered to himself.

"That's the 1986 Hoard Moostang. It's exactly what your friend will want. It's got a 197 forcepower and it's built like a tank! Besides, it's a vintage." Nick walked and stopped beside him.

"Hmm…"

The rabbit went inside the car and pulled off the cigarette compartment. He pushed the button inside and the dashboard turned upside down, turning into an armory with a dart gun and some smoke grenades. The rabbit smiled.

"What in the world?!" Nick was surprised.

The rabbit turned his head at Nick. "How'd you get this car?"

"Uhh… ask the owner. I'm just a new guy."

"You never saw that, okay?" Jack pressed the button again and the armory turned back into a dashboard. He placed the cigarette container back inside to conceal the button.

The rabbit went inside the building with Nick trailing behind. He walked to the manager's office. Mr. Quillback, Nick's boss, was signing a few papers while listening to some rock on the radio.

The rabbit turned the radio off in the desk to get his attention.

"Hey, what the hell?!"

"How'd you get that car?"

"Be specific. There's a lot of cars out there, sir."

"That Hoard Moostang."

"Aaaahh… that thing's a recent arrival. I don't think anyone asked for i-"

"How'd you get it?" The rabbit's voice got more serious as he disrupted Mr. Quillback.

"Well, I got it off an auction from the ZPD impound. I couldn't bear to see this classical beauty go into the bin, so I bought it and turned it into full-powered working machine! You interested?"

"Yeah, I am. After all, it IS mine."

"Yours?" Mr. Quillback scoffed.

"About three weeks ago, two idiots were chasing me down and I had to ditch it in Acacia Street because one of the tires popped an-"

"I'm not interested in your little story. You wanna buy the car or not?" Mr. Quillback's face turned serious.

"Fine." The rabbit exhaled. "How much?"

"Hmm... $28,000."

"Deal. Just swipe it at that card reader over there and I'll take out the papers." The rabbit shrugged as Mr. Quillback took out a bunch of papers from his file cabinet. He took out a black credit card with a 'B' engraved on the front face.

Quillback's eyes widened as soon as he saw the logo. Soon after, his spines stretched and poked holes on his supposedly spike-proofed chair.

"Ehhehh…" Mr. Quillback chuckled nervously and unsuccessfully forced to lower his spines. "T-There's no need for this! The car is f-f-free! No need to sign anything!" Nick noticed Mr. Quillback's nervousness in his voice, unsure of why a measly card scared him.

Mr. Quillback told Nick to grab the Moostang's key from the safe, attached with a carrot keychain. He also forced a smile as he gave it to the rabbit.

"Well, it was a pleasure doing business with you, Mr…?"

"Savage. Jack Savage."

Jack stood up and shook hands with Mr. Quillback whose whole body was shaking.

"Thanks for the nice gesture, spikey. I'll let my boss know of your generosity!"

"See you around, kid."

Savage walked out the door and got in the car. He put on some shades as he drove off.

Mr. Quillback let out a huge sigh of relief and laid still in his chair. He hung his head as Nick walked up to him.

"My god… at least the kid finally sold a damn car."

"Hey sir, what's so special about that 'B'?"

"What? Oh, N-nothing! Good job, though! Now get back to work."

"But…"

"Go. Now." Mr. Quillback pointed at the glass doors.

Puzzled, Nick walked outside happy that his job is safe... for now.


	3. The Hustle Life

"But wait! There's more! If you buy this Moostang right now, you'll get zero down payment!" Nick looked desperate as he tried to sell a car. The Hoard Moostang sported a bright orange paint job is customers, a pig couple, snorted at him and walked away.

As a child of a single parent, Nick worked in a part-time job to help his mother pay the bills. According to Mary Anne, Nick's father died long ago because he was with dangerous friends. He was a busy man, but he was a work-a-holic who wasn't there a lot, even during Mary Anne's pregnancy.

As the pigs walked away from the used car dealership, Nick tossed his hat to the floor and started shouting profanities. He walked back from the hot pavement warmed by the afternoon sun into the small, cool building where his boss sat comfortably.

"Nick! My office now!" A porcupine stormed out of the double glass doors and screamed for the fox's head.

Nick hung his head in shame and disappointment and entered the building, where he was met by the cool breeze of the air conditioner and the glaring eyes of a 3-foot porcupine sitting on an oversized desk.

"I'm so sorry, sir. I guess the weather's doing things to my head. I guess the customers didn't want to talk to me since I'm just a fox."

Mr. Quillback turned his chair to the left and stared out at the window, where the used cars were scorching in the rays of the hot sun.

"Luckily, my head's not stuck in the stone age, Nick. I'm giving you one last chance. Make a sale within these two weeks or I have no choice but to cut some losses, if you catch my drift."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Quillback. I promise I won't let you down."

"Okay then, Nick. Back to work! Here's a spray bottle of water for later."

* * *

The next day…

* * *

Nick was waiting in the shade and saw a rabbit in a tuxedo walking in the parking lot. He took a deep breath and walked towards the customer.

"Good morning, sir! How may I help you today?" Nick made a courteous smile.

"Morning. I'm here to buy a car as a gift for a friend. He wants a car that's both fast and strong, and also under 30k. You got anything like that over here?"

"Yeah, sir. Follow me around."

Nick led the rabbit around the lot. Nick showed him to some sedans and minivans. The rabbit looked uninterested in any of the cars and looked tired. All of a sudden, he ran towards a car sitting under the shade of an oak tree.

"Is this it?" The rabbit whispered to himself.

"That's the 1986 Hoard Moostang. It's exactly what your friend will want. It's got a 197 forcepower and it's built like a tank! Besides, it's a vintage." Nick walked and stopped beside him.

"Hmm…"

The rabbit went inside the car and pulled off the cigarette compartment. He pushed the button inside and the dashboard turned upside down, turning into an armory with a dart gun and some smoke grenades. The rabbit smiled.

"What in the world?!" Nick was surprised.

The rabbit turned his head at Nick. "How'd you get this car?"

"Uhh… ask the owner. I'm just a new guy."

"You never saw that, okay?" Jack pressed the button again and the armory turned back into a dashboard. He placed the cigarette container back inside to conceal the button.

The rabbit went inside the building with Nick trailing behind. He walked to the manager's office. Mr. Quillback, Nick's boss, was signing a few papers while listening to some rock on the radio.

The rabbit turned the radio off in the desk to get his attention.

"Hey, what the hell?!"

"How'd you get that car?"

"Be specific. There's a lot of cars out there, sir."

"That Hoard Moostang."

"Aaaahh… that thing's a recent arrival. I don't think anyone asked for i-"

"How'd you get it?" The rabbit's voice got more serious as he disrupted Mr. Quillback.

"Well, I got it off an auction from the ZPD impound. I couldn't bear to see this classical beauty go into the bin, so I bought it and turned it into full-powered working machine! You interested?"

"Yeah, I am. After all, it IS mine."

"Yours?" Mr. Quillback scoffed.

"About three weeks ago, two idiots were chasing me down and I had to ditch it in Acacia Street because one of the tires popped an-"

"I'm not interested in your little story. You wanna buy the car or not?" Mr. Quillback's face turned serious.

"Fine." The rabbit exhaled. "How much?"

"Hmm... $28,000."

"Deal. Just swipe it at that card reader over there and I'll take out the papers." The rabbit shrugged as Mr. Quillback took out a bunch of papers from his file cabinet. He took out a black credit card with a 'B' engraved on the front face.

Quillback's eyes widened as soon as he saw the logo. Soon after, his spines stretched and poked holes on his supposedly spike-proofed chair.

"Ehhehh…" Mr. Quillback chuckled nervously and unsuccessfully forced to lower his spines. "T-There's no need for this! The car is f-f-free! No need to sign anything!" Nick noticed Mr. Quillback's nervousness in his voice, unsure of why a measly card scared him.

Mr. Quillback told Nick to grab the Moostang's key from the safe, attached with a carrot keychain. He also forced a smile as he gave it to the rabbit.

"Well, it was a pleasure doing business with you, Mr…?"

"Savage. Jack Savage."

Jack stood up and shook hands with Mr. Quillback whose whole body was shaking.

"Thanks for the nice gesture, spikey. I'll let my boss know of your generosity!"

"See you around, kid."

Savage walked out the door and got in the car. He put on some shades as he drove off.

Mr. Quillback let out a huge sigh of relief and laid still in his chair. He hung his head as Nick walked up to him.

"My god… at least the kid finally sold a damn car."

"Hey sir, what's so special about that 'B'?"

"What? Oh, N-nothing! Good job, though! Now get back to work."

"But…"

"Go. Now." Mr. Quillback pointed at the glass doors.

Puzzled, Nick walked outside happy that his job is safe... for now.


	4. Five-Oh

Sunrise. Sunset. Sunrise. Sunset. That's everyday life for Nick until it's back to school in 3 months.

It's finally Friday and Nick's shift ended as the clock struck 9 pm. He left the dealership and walked to the bus stop that takes him near to his apartment in Marshland Avenue with his phone in hand and called his mother. As his phone dialed, he saw two ferrets unloading cargo from a truck inside an alleyway. One wore an ugly leather jacket that must've been made a millennium ago while the other w Nick ignored the pair, but they didn't do the same.

"Yo, look! There's the bastard who sold the car to Savage!" Nick heard the whispers frp, several feet away.

"Him? He's just a kid!"

"He'll be the bait, idiot. We'll ransom his ass to the bunny and we can get the car. Get the needle."

"Well, shit." Nick whispered to himself and prematurely ended the call.

Nick went on all fours and dashed and the ferrets followed suit. Nick ran block by block in the Savannah District but the ferrets were still on his tail. Just as one of the ferrets were about to grab Nick's tail, a police cruiser stopped between Nick and the ferrets. The ferrets slammed their heads into the metal doors of the car. A white wolf officer came out and shot the delinquents with a taser and a tranquilizer.

"Aw man! I was waiting for them load it all up." The officer turned around to find Nick exhausted and lying flat on the road. "You alright, bud?"

"Oh. I'm so sorry, officer." Nick tried to catch his breath as he can hardly make up a sentence. "I didn't mean to interrupt your patrol."

The officer reloaded his tranquilizer and shot a dart at the ferret that was just tased. "No problem. Stay safe out there!"

Nick exhaled and walked away as the cop handcuffed the two ferrets and searched them. The officer found a picture inside one of the ferret's jackets and looked back up.

"Wait! Come back over here. Looks like these guys chased you for a reason!"

"Wait, what?" Nick turned around and returned to the officer.

The officer gave the photo to Nick while confirming that the two animals are unconscious.

"See? You're there just minding your own business and leaning in that metallic fossil. Nice shirt, by the way." The officer pointed to the Moostang Nick sold a few days ago with Nick leaning on the car.

"This is Mr. Quillback's car dealership. I think this was taken a week ago. I remembered asking my mom to wash it after some guy spilt cranberry juice on it."

"It's definitely from a week ago. Look at those gas prices in the board at the right. $95.9 per gallon! I remember the gigantic lines in the gas stations! I arrested three mammals that day."

"I guess they wanted that car, but I don't see why the hell would they attack me over it."

The officer placed the photo inside and evidence bag he pulled out of his pocket.

"What's your name, kid?"

"Nick Wilde."

"And how old are ya?"

"16, sir."

"First off, loosen up! Second, why the hell are you out in the night by yourself?"

"Just trying to get back home, sir. My job ended at 9."

"Nine? You must be having a hard time, huh?"

Nick stayed silent as the officer pulled out his radio.

"Dispatch, this is Officer Frosthowler. I have two 10-15s here in Trip Street. Requesting 10-19."

"10-4. 10-19."

"Okay, kid. Can you help me load these two cuckoos in the cruiser? I'll give you a ride home as well."

Nick nodded and helped fasten the two in the cruiser's seatbelt.

"And you live at…?"

"36 Marshland Avenue."

"Alrighty. First, let's bring these guys to the station."

As the cruiser drove down Lionheart Avenue, Nick looked around at the empty streets of Savannah Central, while hearing the distant echoes of Sahara Square's nightlife and searchlights illuminating from the horizon.

Nick stayed in the cruiser while Frosthowler brought the criminals in the police station and took a quick nap.

Shep was driving in the Rainforest District Highway as he tapped Nick's shoulder.

"Wake up, kid. We're almost here."

"Wha-? How long did you take in there?"

"Uhh... my bad. I just went to grab a coffee and this bag of chips. Want some?"

"No thanks." Nick yawned and slowly stretched, accidentally hitting Shep. "Hey, watch it!"

Shep drove out to the exit to Shady Place Boulevard and stopped the cruiser directly in front of a gray apartment. The streets were quiet and empty, as if there was a curfew imposed on the area. The apartment was enveloped by vines and only a few rooms were illuminated despite the late hour.

"37 Marshland Avenue!" Shep spoke to himself.

Nick got out of the car and turned back around. "Thanks for the ride, Mr. Frosthowler."

"I said loosen up, kid. Just go ahead and call me 'Shep', okay?" Nick nodded reluctantly.

"See ya, Nick." Shep accelerated and drove off and back onto the highway.

Nick nodded and entered the apartment. Inside was an empty receptionist desk playing some kind of foreign-sounding show and a green elevator door. Besides the few rusty spots and scratches, the building manager still seemed to be content with it as long as it still worked. Nick opened the door to his apartment to find his mom sleeping in the couch while the television played that famous cop show, Paw Patrol.

The apartment room was satisfactory but at least it was livable. For the $200 rent, Mrs. Wilde got a steal although the avenue was once known to have been riddled with violent gangs. The gangs have disappeared since but the reputation lived on.

Nick decided to leave his mom undisturbed and locked the door. He turned off the television, went to the refrigerator and took out the leftover Bug Burger he bought yesterday. After silently devouring the burger, he entered his small room. His study desk was cleaned up with his papers place neatly on one pile and a notebook was placed on top of it. His room was tidy and his bed was prepared. Nick plugged in and turned on his table fan then he changed his clothes, washed his face and fell flat on his bed.


	5. Mother

"Nick! Rise and shine!" Mary Anne shouted the next morning.

Nick woke up with his fur all messy and wavy. He was greeted by the smell of eggs being cooked. "Yeah, yeah. I'm awake. I'm awake."

Nick walked out of his room and sees his mom flipping the eggs in the air like some kind of sous-chef while the television was playing news.

"Nick, dear. You overslept by… half an hour! What time did you get back here?"

"Around midnight. The bus took way longer than expected."

"Really? Oh, well. You can't really change anything around here. Check my bag if my uniform's in there."

Nick looked inside the backpack and found his mother's chef uniform. "They're all here. Apron, Fur net and fur gloves."

"Alright." Mary anne put some salt, pepper and some chives on the scrambled egg. "Your breakfast's ready!"

Mary Anne headed to the bathroom and put some makeup on and came out a few minutes later, while Nick was eating and watching the news.

"Next time, give me a call if you're gonna be late okay? I gotta get to work now, sweetie!"

Mary Anne kissed Nick in the forehead, grabbed her bag and headed off to work.

* * *

A Few Hours later…

* * *

Nick was back in the dealership, all cleaned up and ready for another day at work. Today, Mr. Quillback's first task for him was to pick up some papers in the file room. The file room was much bigger than Quillback, so even Nick was confused by this irrational logic.

Nick opened the door to the file room and turned on the lights. The entire room had several cabinets and every single one was blue. Nick sifted through the file cabinets and found the one marked 'loans' in the far left corner of the room and took out all 37 folders under the label 'Loans'.

Nick walked out of the room with the folders in he left the room, he hit his small toe in the doorway and dropped making a mess and a restrained yelp. Nick sighed and picked up the first piece of paper in front of him. The loaner was a polar bear wearing a suit and named Koslov. He looked like an old geezer but his listed age was 25. He placed it in the folder marked 'D. Koslov' and picked up the next folder. Nick noticed this loaner was also wearing the same suit. He placed it in the right folder and Nick picked up three more. He noticed in each loaner's picture that they all wore the same exact suit: Black with a white dress shirt and a red tie. The papers also had a blue stamped 'B' in the bottom right of each one. Nick felt his heart pounding as he fixed the folders and realized this dealership's is more than it appears to be.

"Mr. Quillback? Here are all the folders."

"Nice job, kid. Go back outside. Try to get some customers in here. I gotta make some calls."

"About that… is it related to the loaners?"

Mr. Quillback looked at Nick with prejudice and seriousness.

"You'd best ignore this kid. These files are confidential. You'll get in trouble if you share details about customers. Now go."

Just as Nick was leaving the dealership, the phone in Mr. Quillback's desk rang.

"Nick? It's for you."

"NICK! HELP!"

"Mom?!"

"Nicholas Wilde. Come to the storage warehouse east of the dealership. Look for storage room 9. We'll be waiting." A different voice emerged and hung up the phone.

"Holy crap. Sir-"

"Yeah. Go ahead."

Nick dropped and picked the phone up again and dialed 911.

"911. What's your emergency?"

"Hello, 911? My mother was kidnapped and the culprit is in the Store-lot in… 94 Oasis Drive, inside storage room 9. Please send help."

"Okay, sir. I'll send some officers to the location."

Nick sprinted out of the glass doors again and went down on all fours as he ran to the storage lot.

Shep was relaxing in his cruiser, on break, listening to some music while eating a cinnamon roll in front of his favorite coffee shop: La Crème de la Café.

"All units, be advised. We have a 207 in 94 Oasis Drive, storage room 9. 10-40." The radio blared and surprised Shep. He picked it up despite being on break.

"10-4, Dispatch. Officer Frosthowler en route."

Shep wiped his paws in a napkin and drove to the location without his sirens, in order to avoid alerting the kidnappers of his arrival.

Arriving at the storage lot, Shep noticed he was the only officer in the vicinity. The entire lot was deserted too.

"Dispatch, this is Officer Frosthowler. 10-15. Requesting back up."

"Negative. We don't have any other units right now."

"Oh for fuck's sake! And this is a goddamned kidnapping, too!" Shep ranted to himself in the middle of the storage lot.

Shep drew his tranquilizer and headed to storage room 9. He lifted the door up and was merely greeted by a few dust particles.

"Where the f-"

"Drop it." Shep hears a click behind his head. Shep immediately complied, knowing exactly what the threat behind him was.

"Is that a live gun?" Shep chuckled. "Boy, you're in so much trouble right now. I mean, you DO realize that those things are **BANNED**?"

"I know. Besides, it seems like I'm always in trouble." Savage smacks the back of Shep's head with the pistol's grip and Shep fell on the floor, knocked unconscious.

Not soon after, Nick arrived at the storage lot and scurried over to storage room 9. Nick lifted the door as fast as he could. Inside, Nick found Shepherd tied up in a chair, with a familiar rabbit beside him.

"Mr. Savage? Where's my mom?!"

"Don't worry about her. She's been taken to a safe house."

"Let Shep go."

"Hmm, lemme think about it... Nah. Get him, boys."

Nick was swarmed by 6 opossums from different directions. He tried fighting them off, but then he felt a sharp sting in his neck. Nick felt weaker and weaker and fell to the cold, hard ground and fell asleep.

"Alright, guys. Bring these two to the car. I gotta make a call."

Before they opossums dragged the two unconscious mammals away, Jack grabbed Shep's radio and pushed the PTT button.

"Dispatch, patch me to the chief. Tell him it's an old friend."

The radio went silent for a few seconds until…

"Jack Savage." A deep voice resonates from the radio and emits in the small storage room.

"There you are, Bogo! Packages are secure."

"Perfect. Whatever we're planning, remember that this little alliance is temporary."

"Yeah, I know. It's gonna be a lotta fun."

"This operation better work. My entire goddamn career is at jeopardy working with your mafia. If anyone else knows about this…"

"Take a tranquilizer to the ass and chill out, Bogo! We'll shut them up before they say 'Uncle'!"

"They better. Bogo out."

Jack took the foldable chair with him and turned off the storage room's lights and closed the door.


	6. The Other Guys

"Ugh…?" Nick found himself strapped onto a wooden chair in a room illuminated by a single fireplace. As his vision ceased blurring, he sees a familiar bunny standing by the fireplace.

"Wow. Mrs. Big really needs to spice this room up a bit." The bunny spoke to himself.

"Mr. Savage…?"

The rabbit placed his glass of wine on a ledge on top of the fireplace and turned around.

"Afternoon, sleepyhead."

"Where… am I?"

"Welcome to the most luxurious place of Zootopia. Tying people in a chair isn't usually how we welcome guests, but you and Shepherd are exceptions. "

Nick looked around and did not find Shepherd or his mother in the ornate library. A few bookshelves and exquisite decorations were spread around the room while a luxurious red sofa stands in the middle, overlooking a wall mounted television.

"Where's Shep? And where's my mom?"

"Don't worry. They're being taken care of."

"Taken care of? Lay a single finger on my mom and I'll rip you to shreds, you dustball!"

Savage made a poker face and looked at Nick.

"You do realize you're tied up in that chair, right?"

"Goddammit…"

Savage sighed and walked towards Nick with his hands behind his back in a classy attitude.

"This sounds so sudden but I have a proposal to make. I don't wanna be your mom's guardian angel, so I'd like you to join my group so you can do that instead."

Nick, offended, spat on the rabbit. Savage narrowly avoided it but some of the spit got on the bottom of his blazer.

"Really? You just HAD to do that?" Jack screamed.

Jack cusped his right paw and lifted his arm. Right before Jack hits Nick, the wooden door opens and Jack immediately froze.

"Savage!" Nick turned around and saw a tiny rodent sitting in the paw of a black jaguar.

"Madame Vivienne. I-I'm so sorry." Jack lowered his fist and sat in the sofa, parallel to Nick.

The rodent ordered the jaguar to go towards Nick and she stood from her seat.

"Hello, child. Do you remember me?" The rodent smiled. She seems to have noticeably more wrinkles this time around, and it seems she dyed her hair into a dark, brown colour.

"That rodent from the scout ranger building…"

"Yes. It's good to s-"

"Where's my mother? And where's Shepherd?"

"Your mother and Shepherd are safe in our hands right now. We do not have a reason to try and harm them, so relax. I thought it's better we talk first before we let you see them again."

"Well… shit. Alright, I'll bite. Where's Shep?"

"Officer Frosthowler is currently in a different room in my mansion. He is currently being debriefed of the current situation in the city right now."

"Which is?"

"Jack? Care to explain this?"

"Yes, ma'am." Jack stood up and cleared his throat. "There's a possibility of a civil war on the horizon. I'm guessing you know what the Blood Fangs are?" Nick shook his head.

"Like us, they're a group. Only difference is that they'll do anything for power while we're just here for the money. I'm pretty sure you already met two of their members: The two ferrets that chased you. We're not them. So, welcome to the Big mafia."

"Big mafia? Welcome? Why the hell would I wanna join you? I'm trying to save my mother for god's sake."

"We rejected the notion but the ZPD asked us to take you under our mantle in the meantime."

"It's temporary. You're going to be free as soon as the Blood Fangs are gone, dead or alive."

"Why would I need protection anyways?"

"Well, you saw how I managed to open my car's arsenal back in the dealership. Thankfully, it's protected with titanium alloys."

"Why do they care for a gun display in your car?"

"Well, the arsenal contains a recipe that can make a horrible weapon worse. If it's in the wrong hands, it could wipe out the city – and everyone else you've loved – in an instant. Poof."

"Well, shit."

"We _try_ to play clean, they don't. Those bastards won't stop at anything to take over this entire city."

"So why didn't you destroy it?!" Nick exclaimed.

"Well, it just so happened that I got the recipe from our weapons expert the same day I had to ditch the car."

"So why the hell do you need me?"

"Two reasons. First is that you saw how I opened the arsenal. It's better that the recipe is left inside that car at this moment over their hands since they somehow managed to retake my car again." Jack hung his head and laughed nervously.

"The second reason, my child, is that I see a great potential in you. It would be foolish of me to see it go to waste."

"Potential? For what?"

"My men have seen you slither around the city. They've noticed how quick yet silent you are. They know you can become one of my most valuable agents with the right training."

"If I accept, will my mom stay safe?"

"Anyone daring to hurt your mother will hurt and kill themselves instead."

"Fine. I'll do whatever it takes to keep my mom safe, but don't you dare lay a finger on her."

"I promise not to, my child. Savage, please take this young man to Frosthowler's room. Nick, you shall be enlightened of our situation over there."

"Yes, ma'am." Jack loosened the rope tying Nick to the chair and Nick massaged his wrists a little bit until Jack snapped his fingers to get the fox's attention. "Alright, follow me."

"Renato, place me down. I'd like to spend some time alone." Nick heard Mrs. Big as he left the dark and desolate room and into the blinding hallway.


	7. Bigger Fish To Fry

A bear walked to a faucet and filled a bucket with water. Then, he takes the bucket of water to a tiled room, where Officer Shepherd was tied down and unconscious. The bear throws the water at the wolf and Shepherd woke up.

"Wha-wha-what?" Shepherd was startled as water dripped over his eyes and knit his fur closely together.

With a blurry vision, Shepherd shook his head to remove the water and wake himself up.

"Privet, Shepherd. Nice to meet you again." The bear greeted Frosthowler while standing in a benelovent posture with a hint of regret and sorrow in his voice.

"…YOU! KOSLOV, YOU SON OF A BITCH! I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY THIS TIME!" Shepherd, enraged, tried to leap up and onto the bear to exact revenge, but steel shackles held him back and he fell back down on the floor, growling of anger.

"Shepherd, I have told you before. It was not of my doing."

"SHUT UP! YOU FUCKING MAFIA BASTARDS WILL SPEW ANYTHING AND THE ZPD EATS IT UP ANYWAY!"

"Marcus, my friend. You don't understand. You see-"

"THAT SOME STUPID DRUG MADE YOU GO MENTAL AND KILLED DAMIAN. I HEARD THIS FUCKING STORY ALMOST A HUNDRED TIMES AND I AIN'T BUYING IT 'CAUSE IT'S JUST A BIIIIG FUCKING LIE!"

The door creaked open and Jack Savage entered with Nick behind his back.

"Nick! Don't you trust these bastards! They'll do anything to mess your brain up and think that they're the good guys!"

"Listen, pal. In this hellhole we call home, good guys are rarer than common sense. Part of your department is made of corrupt idiots, but at least we found one guy who can fix this place up. Come in."

"Oh, by the way Nick. When I said that the ZPD was on our side, I meant just three officers." Jack told Nick as a bull walked into the interrogation room. His ZPD badge shines across Koslov's eyes and the word 'Bogo' was emblazoned on the name strip

"Bogo? What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Shepherd. Sorry we had to meet like this. It's the only way I can force you to talk to Koslov."

"I told you to not do a damn thing about it. Why the hell would you go behind my back, huh?"

"You're my best friend. I'm not allowing you to leave a loose end untied. Besides, what we're doing is for the greater good."

"It's my past. It's my problem, not yours."

"Can't let that happen. I don't like ditching my friends in the dirt. Now, will you at least help me with this operation or do we have to let you rot in here?"

Shepherd thought long and hard as Bogo stared at him with hope and desperation.

"Fine. I'll help but if you or the rest of this mafia gang even try to kill me, I'll kill you all first."

"Hah. Good luck with that." Jack snickered, much to Shepherd's annoyance.

When Bogo left, Koslov carefully unlocked the shackles bounding Shepherd and walks backward.

Marcus was very suspicious of Koslov and eyed him as he left the room with Jack and Nick. Jack grabbed two tuxedos from a large wardrobe and handed them over to the two mammals.

"So we're wearing tuxedos now? You guys got anything else?"

"Either that or go out there with only your furry ass as your blanket."

"I was hoping to see if I can look like a cotton ball but I guess your outdated fashion will do, grandpa."

"If only bulletproof clothing was old-fashioned…"

After Nick and Shepherd changed into the suits, the three of them headed to the briefing room just past the large dining hall. Jack told them that the mafia treats all its members like family and Mrs. Big encourages each member to join her in dinner whenever they can, which they do. They proceeded to a room with a wooden double door. There, they met with Officer Bogo and Koslov, with a map of Zootopia on a wooden table.

"Alright, gentlemen. Gather round." Bogo announced to the three mammals. "So, we know that the Blood Fangs are spread throughout Zootopia and that they control the city in secrecy. Despite that, we'll be trying to dismantle the group piece by piece. We'd be complete idiots if we just show ourselves now, so we're gonna have to take these guys down as slow as mollusks. We don't want them to see us just yet. We got other mafia agents to cover our tracks for that."

"Nick, Frosthowler. I want you two to meet another mafia member by the docks. He can give you two some equipment and maybe can teach you how to shoot. Look for a guy named 'Shorty'. Savage, I need you to meet with Marco in the Oasis Resorts and find a way to get your car back, this time for real. According to my contacts, the car is located in the Full Moon Casino garage, about 5 blocks south."

"Koslov will stay here and keep an eye out for the other mafia members and guard Mrs. Big. I'll get back to the ZPD and see if I can find some dirt on Chief Stallione."

"But won't anyone in the department notice I'm gone?"

"Don't worry. I got someone to call as you and request some vacation time. Now, let's get to work."

Nick, Shepherd and Jack all went to the mansion garage. They took the elevator down and were greeted by a dark room. Jack immediately exited and flipped the switch to the right of the elevator. The entire room was alit and revealed a huge fortune in the form of exotic cars and historic prototypes.

As Shepherd stared in awe at some vintage cars sealed behind some glass door, Jack whistled and threw car keys at him.

"Hey, Jack. Who the heck is Marco?" Nick asked the rabbit inside the elevator.

"Oh. He's Mrs. Big's grandson. Guy's got one hell of a silver tongue."

"Even he's trying to stop the Blood Fangs? This war's much more serious than I thought!"

"You'll get used to it. It seems we're in a lot of wars nowadays, yet I still don't have a medal of honor or something."

"Wow. This car's pretty ugly." Nick was distraught as he looked at the car given to them: A black sedan that seems to have been built over a century ago. It's very vintage and also there's some lucky dice hanging from the rearview mirror.

"Suits Shepherd at least!" Jack joked and Shepherd was not amused." Let's rendezvous back here before midnight."

Jack walked away into the other side of the garage and drove off in a Ferreti F50, smirking as he cruised by an envious Nick and Shepherd. When Jack left, Shepherd started the engine to their car. It took a few tries, but soon it worked and they headed off to the docks.


	8. Big Things Come In Small Containers

Frosthowler and Nick arrived at the docks. The cool breeze of the night winds made Shep's fur fluffier as he shivered and shook his body. The docks were full of fishing boats as far as the eye can see. The only thing making noise was the trashy old car the duo arrived in. Shepherd stopped the car in the front of a yard full of shipping containers and took out his phone.

"This should be the spot. Jack, what now?"

"Yeah, Shorty is supposed to be in some area with a lot of abandoned shipping containers, probably hiding around inside a green one last time I talked to him. I think the container had writing on it that said 'Greenwald' and it was crossed out. Look for a small beige fox, not Nick of course."

"Got it. I'll call you back when we find the guy."

Shepherd and Nick found the aforementioned container a few minutes later, alongside dozens more containers. Nick was surprised that the container was merely a gate. A stench forced itself on Nick as he gagged in disgust. What Shepherd and Nick stumbled upon was actually a hobo haven. Both saw several mammals camping around in the containers, using it as their makeshift homes while other slept and sat on the ground with only cloth tents or a small towel to sleep on. As Nick stared into the abyss of the broken mammals' eyes, they stared right back at him and send a shiver down his spine. He placed his paw by his tranquilizer for safe measure.

"My goodness. I guess these mammals' lives were destroyed terribly enough that they don't even try to ask for help from the government. Stay REAL close to me, Nick."

As they searched around, Shep can't help but notice that eyeballs were looking at Nick and him. Past a pit of hobos circling a fire, Nick catched a glimpse of a small beige fox in the distance.

"Shep, there he is. Come on." Nick ran into the maze-like structure of the mammals living in the middle.

Just as Nick reached the northeastern part of the camp where he saw the fox at, a boar pops out of a wall and aims his shotgun at Nick, freezing him in place.

"Take one more step and I'll blow your goddamn brains out." The boar was muscular and wearing a tank top. He has scars all over his arm and six tally marks on his right shoulder.

"I told you to stay close, Nick."

"Relax buddy, I'm here with this kid. We're with Big and we gotta see Shorty now."

"Big? THE Big mafia? Please! You two look like a pair of marshmallows. Get out of here." Shep sighed took out his radio and contacted Jack. Not soon after, Shepherd held the radio at the boar's face. "Hey Bucky, it's Jack. These guys are part of the mafia. Now let them go already, baconbutt." Jack spoke over the radio.

"Huh. Okay, follow me."

Bucky led the duo to a green container, exactly how Jack described it earlier. Bucky knocked on the metal door.

"Hey, Shorty. You got a couple of mammals who wanna see you. Mafia goons."

"Gotcha. Bring 'em to me, Bucky. I'll deal with these guys." Shorty replied.

Nick heard a swift whir pass beside him then a metal bang. He looked at Bucky the boar beside him and saw his chest bleeding from a fresh wound near his heart. A hole was also created in the ground in front of him, and luckily missed Nick's head.

"Shit, we got Blood Fangs!" Shepherd whipped out his pistol and dragged Nick behind the stone wall.

"Nick, just stay behind me. I'm not gonna let you get killed."

Shepherd came out of cover and fired his pistol. Nick spotted an assassin ducking back to cover behind a stone wall near the middle of the camp. Mammals caught in the crossfire scattered. Some other armed mammals tried shooting the assassin as well, but the hobos were always in their lines of sight.

While Shepherd kept on firing, Nick sneaked around the tents, hoping to flank and subdue the assassin. Through the containers filled with frightened hobos hugging the walls and the puddles of stagnant rainwater, Nick was in a short distance of the killer. He aimed the tranquilizer gun at the shooter's head, but all of a sudden an explosion rocked the container and literally vaporized the assassin. Nick looked back at Shepherd and alongside him was a small figure holding an RPG.

"Nick?! What the hell are you doing up there?! I told you to stay behind me! Get your ass back here!"

Nick jumped off the container and ran back to Shepherd.

"Nick, that was incredibly stupid but we'll talk about that later. For now, I want you to meet Shorty."

Nick looked at the figure holding the RPG as it dropped the weapon. Nick instantly recognized the small fox.

"Finnick?"

"It's been a while, kid."

"You two know each other?" Shepherd looked at Nick, whose mouth was agape in awe. "Oooookay, I'll let you two catch up. I'll go take care of poor Bucky over there."

"Kid, what happened? Why are you here?"

"I'm part of the Big mafia now. I'm doing so that I can keep my mother safe, but I gotta do them a few favors so I can see her again. And you?"

"To put it simply, Bucky over there was just one of my most trusted men. I'm the leader of this gang. Welcome to the Saharan Saviors. Come." Finnick walked with Nick inside a big tent and asked him to sit in a wooden chair in front of his table, which was littered with papers and ledgers.

"Saharan Saviors? And what do you guys do exactly?"

"We know that the Zootopian Government has been corrupted by the Blood Fangs. These mammals lived in Sahara Square before I was even born. The government took their homes away from them and replaced it with casinos, nightclubs and hotels. Now, it's a shithole where rich idiots bet their life away to a bunch of greedy bastards that would rather fill their pockets with money than return their homes."

"So you're starting an uprising? But why did I meet you in the alley 8 years ago?"

"Funny how time flies so fast, huh? That day, I was a 5-year member of this gang on a simple mission: find out why the Blood Fangs were sending out a bunch of guns and men towards The Meadowlands. Turns out my snooping was noticed by the mafia and I saved their territory without even knowing it."

"And why did the mafia chased and grabbed you?"

"I, uh, shot some of them and two SUVs down when I tried to escape from their 'gratitude'. Luckily, the mammals I shot survived. What about you? What made you join these guys?"

"Nick crossed his arms and looked down on the ground.

"I have to protect the one person in my life: my mom. It's strange considering how they didn't let me meet with her yet."

"Seems like your mom knows something they wanna know. Don't worry. I'm sure they won't hurt her. The Big mafia's pretty big on family."

"Shorty, we got panicked civvies out here. You mind calming them down?" The radio on the table buzzed.

"Nick, I guess that shooting lesson's gonna be delayed. Come on and help me calm down those mammals outside." Finnick wore his sunglasses and ventured back to the refuge.

Nick happily obliged.


End file.
